


The Prestigious Mask

by Brim



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Pining, Siete-centric, i guess, reminiscing about first meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 03:52:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17780063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brim/pseuds/Brim
Summary: “Back then, I needed to know whether it was someone I had to stop or someone I had to help.”





	The Prestigious Mask

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ch7seiken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ch7seiken/gifts).



> For sietefucker/ch7seiken! I hope you have a great Valentine's day!

_“Back then, I needed to know whether it was someone I had to stop or someone I had to help.”_

…

   Their meeting was held in a secluded village located deep in the forest between the bounders of two countries. The village was small enough that their presence and the sight of their signature uniforms didn’t draw any attention.  Nobody knew what an Eternal was around there.

   The gathering was small – attended solely by Siete and Six and was held in the town’s only pub. A few curious eyes occasionally eyed them but most of the locals were more focused on minding their own business. As outsiders, the strange travelers’ lives didn’t matter to them unless it was for trading.

   Still, Six’s ears occasionally twitched cautiously under his hood.

“Aren’t you going to take that mask off? Can’t imagine drinking with that thing?” Siete teased and ordered for himself. The barman answered with a nod and minute or two later slid a crudely carved wooden mug towards him. Siete took a generous sip, wiping the foam with his armored glove.

“That’s none of your concerns.” Six’s arms were folded in an unwelcoming gesture. He didn’t like the idea of meeting outside in the open when it came to business concerning the Eternals.

“I can give you some recommendations if you’re too shy to ask.” The pub was small but had its own brewery. They were seated at the bar and if Siete leaned, he could see the pipes and barrels from the brewery at the back of the building. It was a work day so there weren’t a lot of people in the pub – two old men were playing cards on the table closest to them, a couple was drinking and chatting at the corner booth and a young man was probably drinking too much at the furthest side of the bar.

    Choosing a location with less people was a strategic move.

“Are you…calling me scared?” Six interjected sharply.

“Just joking.” Siete emphasized with a laugh as he took another sip. The brew was dark but the taste wasn’t very bitter. It could easily be mistaken for a light beer. “A man should drink if he wants to. I should apologize then, if you were against it I would’ve arranged for something different.”

    Six’s patience grew thinner and thinner.

“Why is our meeting about, Siete? Your words sounded very urgent. What great danger plagues the sky that requires our strength? Where are the rest of the Eternals?”

“Right, right. So about our little gathering…It’s actually just between us two.”

“So you’re saying that out of everyone I’m the only one who accepted the invitation to this meeting?”

    Siete brought the mug to his mouth and laughed again.

“You’re actually the only one I invited.” He took another generous sip.

“Wha…?! I’m leaving.” Six was on his feet and ready to leave. Siete slammed his mug down, almost spilling some of it and got on his feet as well.

“Please wait!”

    The desperation in Siete’s voice didn’t cause Six’s pace to stop as he headed for the door.

“I’ve wasted more than enough time coming here.”

“Six!” Siete sped past him and positioned himself in front of the Erune. They were just a few meters away from the door.  Six could easily just ignore him and pass around him to get the door and leave but instead he stopped, switching to a battle stance.

“Why should I?”

    Given the spotlight, Siete didn’t quite know what to say, but he needed to say something before Six did anything or worse – left.

“It’s just that…it’s always work, work and work with you! I wanted us to get to know each other outside of business, you know? As your friend, I want us to get along.” By that moment most of the remaining patrons, including the barman, turned their attentions towards them. Their little personal drama was turning complimentary to their drinks.

“We’re not friends.” Six immediately denied.

“That’s harsh, Six! I deserve a compensatory drink.” The comment had stung but Siete tried to make light of the situation. “Please Six, I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

   Their standoff continued for a few tense minutes until Six, eventually, relented to Siete’s request. 

“Whatever.” Six seated himself back at the bar. Siete remained standing, flabbergasted that Six actually decided to stay. He sighed in relief and walked up to the bar, seating himself back on his spot.

“That’s my Six! Gracious as always.” Siete picked up his beer again, easing into the seat.

   Six folded his arms again. His ears perked up once he heard chairs scratching – the two old men that were playing cards on the table were leaving. Six didn’t turn and nor could he see them because the periphery of his vision was obscured by his mask and hood but he could sense their movement behind him. Next to him, Siete continue drinking, keeping up a one-sided conversation about all sorts of nonsense – from food he’d tried to sights he’d seen and swords he’d gathered. As the evening progressed, the customers rotated. Some people left and new ones came in. Each time Six assessed them cautiously.

“Hey, Six? Do you remember how we met?” Siete’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet for once which caught Six off guard.

“Yes.” His reply was reserved, constrained. “Of course.” _I could never forget that day._

 

\---

  Before his fated meeting with Uno, Siete was a vagabond collecting powerful swords.

  Before the official formation of the Eternals, Siete was a wayward traveler looking for powerful people he could help.

  He traveled across the skies, wandered many islands and saw many faces – both fortunate and unfortunate. Whenever he found those in need he answered to the best that he could, however even then there was only so much a single swordsman could do. But there were others like him – strong individuals who directed all that power for the sake of all the skies.

  Eventually his journey led him to a small island, whose market catered to unusual tastes. There he heard the interesting story about the Karm clan. Intrigued, Siete asked his good friend about it.

“The clan was famous throughout the skies for their exceptional combat ability!”

“ _Was_ , you say?” He’d heard gossip of what had happened a few years ago.

    Karm was a family of assassins, best known for their swift techniques, proficiency in ambush tactics and expert melee combatants. They were a wicked opponent but all of a sudden the entire clan was wiped off overnight.  Rumor has it that it was the young heir that did it – a fearsome talent that lead to the clan’s destruction from the inside and was left to wander the island like a ghost or a curse.

   Generations and generations produced skilled fighters and that entire legacy was lost because of a single boy. It was an awful story and needless to say, Siete felt much more than mere curiosity to investigate what really happened, what the fate of the boy was and what it was going to be.

“Ahh, do be careful. Their lands aren’t meant for sightseeing.”

    The Karm clan was unwelcoming to tourists. The ruins of the clan were riddled with traps - mostly old devices left by the clan to deter intruders. The forest surrounding their lands was wild and hard to get through. The land was one of unwelcoming solitude.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for worrying about me, Siero!” He wished the merchant a fruitful journey and left.

     The very next day, in the early morning, he headed for their grounds. Twigs and roots mercilessly cracked underneath his armored boots as he marched. He was hoping that if things went fine, he’d be able to return to the trading shacks before sunset and look for more weapons.

    He wasn’t the most subtle of travelers and his one-man crusade towards the desolate lands of Karm was heard by the entirety of the forest. Siete didn’t mind it – after all he was a swordsman, not an assassin so his strategy didn’t include ambush. The more traps he encountered, the closer he knew he was to his goal. The traps themselves were very sophisticated but not enough to best him. In fact, he was having a bit of fun with them aside from…

“Ahh…” He sighed in annoyance when his white cloak almost got caught in a burning trap. Ever since he’d started recruitment with Uno, he decided that an official uniform would be fitting so the crew is more recognizable. He didn’t quite get the cloak design down but he was getting there.

“I assume you don’t get a lot of visitors around here. Why don’t you come out so I can meet my host, child of Karm?” Siete said to the deep forest but there was no answer. He sensed someone had been following him since at least a few minutes.

“The silent type, huh?” He mumbled under his nose. Siete was glad he travelled alone otherwise people might think of him as out of his mind and talking to himself but he was no rookie. He had his fair share of fights with assassin clans. Talent or not, Siete was not one easily to fool.

    He made a few steps forwards and immediately paused. He’d definitely heard the soft ruffling of leaves and the wind wasn’t strong enough to do that. His hand rested on the hilt of the sword by his side, ready.

“I’ve heard that murderers like to return to the scene to the crime but this is the first time I’ve heard of them actually living there.” Siete provoked and waited.

     His wait was answered when a hollow tree trunk swung towards him, suspended on a few ropes. Siete stepped aside, dodging the trunk as it flew past him. However that was part of the trap – he braced himself as he felt the ground underneath his feet collapse. As he fell, Siete quickly threw his sword up towards a nearby tree. The sword’s energy materialized in his hand like a rope and he held on to it, preventing himself from falling down the pit. As he hang suspected, he looked down and saw numerous sharpened wooden spikes erected from the ground towards the opening.  

   It was a crude but effective trap.

“He’s good.” He commented under his breath as he pulled himself up to safety and stepped on hard ground.

    Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to catch his breath because another suspended tree trunk swung towards him. Siete swiftly materialized a spectral sword and threw it towards the trap. This time the trunk was full of explosives and the wood exploded. Siete used his cloak to protect himself from the shrapnel.

“So you prepared fireworks too? I’m honored.” Siete dusted off his cloak and then went to grab his sword.

    He heard a twig crack behind him and immediately unsheathed his other sword, barely managing to dodge a few daggers thrown at his direction. He hastily reached out to grab the sword he flung earlier but was prevented when a figure flashed by his side and Siete blocked an attack aimed to disarm him. The sound of metal scratching against metal echoed in the empty forest as they clashed, exchanging and dodging blows until the figure retreated back into the trees.

    The assassin was very fast.

“Could you just come out and face me, please? I don’t like hide and seek.” Siete yelled at the general direction towards where his opponent had disappeared. “Otherwise I’ll have to cut down the entire forest.”

   While waiting for any sort of reaction or the next attack, Siete picked up the the sword he threw lifeline from the pit trap and materialized a few spectral swords around him. The projection’s pale luminosity lighted up his surrounded as if faerie fairy.

“Who are you?” A low voice called out to him and Siete turned to see that the figure was standing up the faint forest path.

      The boy was no longer a boy but a man. An Erune. The upper half of his face was obscured by a carved up mask and he was wearing an old rag of a light armor that was barely holding itself together by leather straps and scraps salvaged other armors.  A simple, dingy hood covered his head and with two crudely cut holes for his ears.

“Hello there, I’m here to talk.” Siete rested his sword on his shoulder and waved at him.

   Whatever he said or did must have set his opponent off because the heir immediately rushed towards him.  The attacker’s relentless assault pushed Siete to the defensive. The forested area didn’t leave much open space for Siete to move and let loose. Meanwhile, it greatly favored the assassin’s swift attacks which were getting faster and faster. At one point his movement turned blurry and it looked like there were multiple opponents at once.

 _“Well, two can play at that game.”_ Siete threw his sword at him as a distraction and quickly materialized the spirit of a trusted short sword, one of his first treasures and graciously dodged the flurry of attacks that followed. His opponent momentarily faltered which gave Siete the breathing space to start mobilizing his spectral swords, directing them towards the opponent’s shadows.

    He was starting to gain more territory. Siete managed to land a blow, hitting him with his sword’s hilt when the assassin tried to attack him from behind.  The assassin took no time in recovering and quickly tried to aim for his neck but Siete managed to dodge by ducking and the assassin’s claws tore his cloak instead. Frustrated, his opponent groaned and retreated a few meters away.

“Persistent…just like that man.” He commented and then made a mad dash up the forest path.

“Oh, he’s very good.” Siete grinned as he picked up the sword he’d flung earlier and ran after him.

   It didn’t take him long to get out of the forest and reach a wide open area. He assumed that this was the clan’s inner sanctum – there were the ruins of a few smaller buildings around a big temple that looked like it’d seen better days. Ivy and vines had swallowed up the side of the building and one of the temple’s huge, metal gates was dented while the other had fallen off and rested in front of the entrance.

    Accepting the invitation, Siete made his way in.

“Thanks for the warm welcome, but your place needs some redecoration.” The inside of the temple was a huge training ground. Years of neglect made nature reclaim this place – a huge variety of broken equipment and busted training dummies were scattered in piles. Most of the flooring was scratched or with tiles broken. Thin carpets of moss spread on the floor and walls. There were a few cracks on the ceiling, letting faint rays of light in but other than that the inside was dim with low visibility. 

   It must have been more than just a few years, Siete assumed.

“I didn’t expect you to follow me in here…it seems like you’re far dumber than I thought!” The voice from before echoed somewhere above Siete. He sounded a lot more confident which made the grinning swordsman even more excited. It was a clever move on the assassin’s part to ambush him in the forest where the movement of his broadswords was limited and it was another clever move to lure him into his own territory. Although everything in the temple screamed death trap, he willfully followed him. Siete was completely compliant in their little game of cat and mouse.

“Are you ready?”

    However, his opponent was severely underestimating Siete.

“Deiz Mil Espadas!”

   The inside of the temple was swallowed by the light of his spectral swords and the ceiling, a victim of time and neglect, collapsed.

 

    By the time the dust settled and Siete managed to dig himself out of the rubble, it was slowly getting dark outside. The warm rays of the setting sun shone from huge holes on the roof – the result of Siete’s careless use of power. He had severely overestimated the structure’s stability as he certainly didn’t expect the temple to be so fragile and collapse upon the release of his sword collection. Lucky for him, Siete was able to protect himself from serious injuries by using his spectral swords.

“I liked this cloak…” His tone was sad as he tried to dust what was left of his cloak. Most of it was torn off and could barely count as rags. He would probably have to spend a lot of rupees repairing his armor as well but he considered it an excusable cost. After all, despite the collateral damage, he was the one that won the duel.  

“Good thing I’m still young…Augh, I want to go to a spa after this.” He winced he tried to move amidst the temple’s rubble. The fatigue of the earlier battle and having to dig himself out was starting to creep up to him. He didn’t want to think about the trek back to the village. But before he even thought about going back, he needed to look for his sword. And the assassin. 

  Siete quickly found the latter – it took him just looking around to see him squirming to get free. He was on the ground, his foot stuck underneath debris, unable to get out. The assassin was trying to squeeze himself out, to desperately free himself but soon tired and lied down, dejected, once he realized he was too helpless to do it. The man’s hood was gone and only half of his mask remained, covering the right side of his face. When he saw his opponent’s face, Siete realized just how _young_ he was.

    A deep feeling of guilt grew in Siete’s heart.

“Ah, sorry about that, but good survival instincts!” He gave out a nervous laugh as he rushed by his side. The young man twisted to face him, his momentary surprise was quickly replaced by anger which hid the fear on his face. He started trashing and pulling more desperately, like a wounded animal trying everything in its powers to free itself and get away once it was caught in a trap.

“Stay still.” Siete tried to calm him so he doesn’t injure himself any further when he tried to free him.

“Just…Just get it over with…” He lied still on the ground, face flat once he realized he can’t escape.  Siete kneeled besides him, placing his hand on his shoulder. As if burned by the touch, the young man immediately twisted on his side, slapping his hand away. “D-Don’t touch me!”

   His voice stuttered as he screamed at him. Siete blinked, confused but complied. He stood up and took a step back. He projected a few of his spectral swords again. The Erune trembled, shutting his eyes in anticipation and bracing himself. Instead of striking him, Siete calmly used his projections to free the young man by clearing the rubble with his sword projections. A broadsword sank in the debris, splitting the giant boulder that was the bigger parts of the debris that caught the Erune’s foot in a trap and gave him enough space to slide out.

“Sorry about that. You know how it is with people trying to kill you and you going a bit overboard.” He joked but the young man grew stiff like a statue and looked frightened. “You were lucky. It didn’t crush your limb. A stop by the village’s healers and a few days of rest and you’ll be fine.”

“Why…” His voice was faint.

“Hm?”

“Why are you… helping me?” He stuttered.  

“Oh, isn’t that the natural thing to do? You see someone in need and you help them.” Siete genuinely seemed lost at the question.

“That’s not…how it works.” The Erune’s ears pricked up and twitched. He freed himself from the rubble and gave a studying look at his limb.

“Is that so? Then how does it work?” Siete inquired, curious. The young man got up on shaky limb. Siete extended his hand to help him but it went ignored.

“The weak…don’t deserve help. I was weak.” The young man winced as he tried to step on his bad leg. He switched the balance of his weight on his other leg.

   Siete whistled.

“If that was your _weak_ then I can’t imagine what your strong is. You’re terrifyingly strong.” The look in his eyes then turned sympathetic. “Do you want to come with me? I can’t imagine staying around this dump being very fun.”

   The young man’s suspicion at his words was clear. Trust didn’t come easy and Siete was aware of that.    

“How are you so… sure I won’t try to …k-kill you?” His speech was even more strained than before. Siete didn’t know if he was having troubles speaking because he was injured or because of some other reason.  

“If you really wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it by now. I’m unarmed after all.” Siete said dismissively. He gestured to his surroundings. “I’m going to go look for my sword now so stay put.”

   He turned his back to the young man who remained still, observing him, analyzing him and pondering.

“You…are you going to …hand me in?” He inquired. Siete suspected that he was considering his chances and whether he needed to make another speedy escape, despite the strain that would make on his injured leg.

“What you did is pretty bad, you know? But just because you’ve done bad things in the past, doesn’t mean you can’t do good things in the future. You’re powerful. Very powerful at that, so you should use that power for a good purpose instead of hiding and rotting away.”

   The young man carefully considered Siete’s words. His ears lowered, almost flat against his head.

“ _What good could a monster like me even do?_ ” He said after a few moments of silence. His tone was soft, barely audible. If the day had been any windier, Siete would’ve missed that.

“That’s for you to find.” Siete simply answered.  

     Before he found his sword, he found the other part of the cracked mask.

“Here’s your mask.” Siete casually tossed it at him. The idling Erune’s ears perked up and he effortlessly caught it. He tried to place it on his face but it didn’t stick and the part fell on the ground. Due to his lethargy he failed to catch it and it shattered. Startled by the sound of the mask shattering, Siete turned back to him with a curious look and the young man squawked in surprise.

“I…I…” He shut his mouth, ashamed. He stared towards the ground. Siete shrugged and turned back to his search. The young man idled for a little while longer, staring at him, and then at the ground, unsure of what to do with himself. Eventually he joined the search as well.

    It only took a little bit of digging for the young man to find it.

“H-here…” He limped to Siete and Siete’s flashed a beaming smile at him.

“Thank you very much! This is a very important sword you see, I got it from this one king! I don’t think he was fit enough to use it and I have no pride in winning that duel but, hey a rare sword is a rare sword.”

    The young man didn’t say anything, just looked at the hilt before giving it back to Siete. Siete figured that considering his gear he wasn’t much for aesthetics or valuables, being a resourceful assassin living off the grid and all that.  

    He put the sword back in his hilt and looked at the young man for some time, considering. The Erune grew more and more anxious under his gaze but he wasn’t running away, instead expecting Siete’s next move. Eventually Siete said the following.

“Right then, my name is Siete. What should I call you? I have a job offer.”

 

…

“See? Friendship at first glance.”

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m not.” He quickly denied.” Or is it perhaps, love at first sight?” He waited a moment, then two. Enough time passed that he could no longer laugh it off as a joke.  Siete, unsure of what to say next, patiently waited and the silence between them grew and grew while Six got more and more tense.

“…You’re really drunk.” Six repeated himself eventually. Siete blinked at him then waved his hand dismissively.

“Just’ a little tipsy. I’m perfectly in control of myself.” He grinned and downed the lasts of his drink. He was only a bit lightheaded. Technically, if he drank any more he would get drunk indeed.

    It was late enough that most of the pub’s patrons had gone their ways. It was a weekday and the village was small – not many people could afford to stay out the whole night, drinking. The barman looked tired as well, ready to close any moment and Siete deduced that they’ll probably be taking last orders soon. His beer mug was empty, except for the small amount of foam residue at the bottom. Siete looked at it idly, reminiscing about the past again.

    Not many years had passed since the formation of the Eternals and many things had already changed – he’d even managed to see not just one but a few revenant weapons awaken. Something he thought of as a legendary feat was accomplished by a small crew with a promising future. Siete trusted that people like them and were responsible for the future of the skies. People like that young captain, people like him and the Eternals.

   Alongside the world’s changes, the Eternals changed as well. The twins were slowly starting to learn how to trust people. Although Stardust Town was still plagued by the mafia and bandits, they weren’t alone in their efforts to protect their family. His old friend Uno, an ever adamant pacifist was slowly growing more at peace with himself. The others as well - Funf, Okto, Song, Nio and Sarasa were growing into good people in their personal journeys.

   And then there was Six. The Erune was a far cry from the disturbed young man he’d found in the ruins of Karm. Siete had grown uncharacteristically fond as of him since then, despite Six’s demeanor being less than welcoming to any of his quips and jokes. There was much more excitement and anticipation over watching Six grow into a greater person than Siete had ever experienced from anything else before. It felt more valuable than the joy from getting a new sword brought to him or the content he felt whenever he used his power for a good purpose.  Siete wondered whether that meant that he changed as well.

   Was he getting too sappy? Perhaps the alcohol was getting to him more than he expected.

“You’ve gotten awfully quiet.” Six commented, his tone low behind his mask.

“I want one more.” Siete answered after a short pause.

“What?”

“I said I want one more.”

“No, you’ve already had enough.”

“But Six!” Siete whined. He raised his hand to catch the barman’s attention but Six jumped off his seat and grabbed Siete’s arm, lowering it. Siete gasped in surprise.

“We’re paying and we’re leaving.” Six handed more than enough rupees to the barman for the beer. He didn’t like dealing with people and absolutely loathed the idea of having to babysit a drunken leader of the Eternals. Six didn’t know exactly how strong Siete was in hand-to-hand but he was fairly confident he would win if it came to a confrontation.

“Let’s go. I don’t want to be held responsible if something happens to you.” Six folded his arms as he waited for Siete to get himself up from his sit.  

“Aww, you’re just worried about me.” Siete staggered for a second but braced himself by holding onto the bar and then straightened his posture with a cough.

“I take my words back from earlier. You’re talking a lot more when you’re drunk. It’s annoying.”

“And you…are also talking a lot more when I’m drunk. I should drink more often with you.”

“Absolutely not! I refuse.” They’d made enough of a scene again that the barman was silently laughing at their little exchange and Six hated every single moment of that unwanted attention.

“I was just kidding! I don’t think that’s very good for my liver. I have to stay healthy to lead the Eternals.”

“If you don’t shut up and keep a move on, your liver will be the least of your worries.”

    Siete giggled, his cheeks faintly flushed. Probably the alcohol, Six assumed. They hastily made their exit out of the pub. Six was just glad he didn’t have to manhandle Siete out. Outside of the dingy pub, the night breeze was cool and it was easier for Six to breathe and think.  He turned back to Siete, relieved to see that Siete was steady on his feet.

    Sensing Six’s presumption, Siete pouted.

“What? Like I said, I’m just tipsy.” He defended himself.

“What would people think if they saw the Eternal’s leader drunk?”

“I don’t think anyone around here even knows what an Eternal is.” Siete shrugged. For once he was oddly content with his status being obscured. The Eternals’ reputation was a touchy subject and the fact that it was essentially a crew full of wildcards didn’t help with their overall positive reception. That was something he and Uno had plenty of disagreements about. “I’m getting thirsty. Let’s stop by the well on the way back.” Siete proposed and there was a frustrated noise of a deep inhale behind Six’s mask but the Erune relented and both headed for the well.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night? I can pay for your room.”

“No.”

    Six wasn’t staying in the village, not being afraid to travel during the night and all of that, but Siete would never refuse a warm bed and he’d recently received a good amount of money from a big bounty so he felt like splurging. The inn he was staying at was located in the outskirts of the small village. The thick forest around the village obscured it so they didn’t have visitors frequently. Siete was the only guest staying that night.

     The well itself was located close to it so it wasn’t a big detour. Their walk was in silence with Six walking at least a meter in front of Siete. Siete didn’t know why Six was actually accompanying him since he didn’t have to but he didn’t dare to ask why. He just appreciated the sentiment.

    Siete drank from the well and while filling his waterskin he looked around for Six. The Erune stood near the well, hidden in its shadows. The ears underneath his hood occasionally twitched, cautious and listening to every movement around them. Siete found it pretty cute.

    Their way back went much the same as before – walking in silence with Six at least a meter or so in front of him. When they got close enough to the inn that Siete could see its faint lights from the distance, Siete had sobered up.

“You know, you’re not a bad person.” Six’s stride didn’t falter but the skip in his step betrayed the fact that he wasn’t ignoring him. ”When I found you in Karm, you didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore, right?”

   Six didn’t answer, but his pace had slowed enough for Siete to catch up and walk besides him.

”I thought so. You wield great power and with that comes great responsibilities. But it was too much of a burden for you so you hid away, right?”

“I…” Six started but didn’t finish the sentence. Instead he just nodded.

“It’s fine. We can all get overwhelmed by our powers. That’s why I’m glad you found a purpose for your powers, Six.”

    Six remained silent for the remaining of their walk. Siete understood that Six wasn’t good with words so he didn’t pressure him into a reaction. Despite Siete’s eccentricities, he could be very patient with people.

    When they reached the front of the inn, the maelstrom in Six’s heart calmed.

“Well then, goodnight Six.” Siete said and stepped towards the entrance but Six pulled him by his cape and Siete stopped. He didn’t realize he’d done that at first but when Siete turned towards him with a surprised look Six felt like he’d already done something he couldn’t back out of. He looked down towards the dirt on the road, unable to face him even behind the mask.

    He searched long and hard for the words in him but…

“And you…You’re not such a bad leader.”

     Perhaps he still had a lot more growing and realizing to do.

“Oh, Six…” Siete exclaimed, flabbergasted. Six looked up only to notice the shine of tears at the corner of Siete’s eyes.  “Do you really mean that? I’m not such a bad leader?”

“I, err…yes.” Six said but he was starting to regret saying his mind to Siete because the very next moment, the leader of the Eternals was hugging him and clinging to him, his nose snotty and his eyes tearing up.

“Oh Six, I knew you’d see eventually that I’m the greatest leader ever! “

“S-shut up! Let…let me go!” Six stuttered as he tried to pull him off, but failed. Eventually the swordsman body sagged on him as he lulled and despite Six’s built, he lost his balance and they both collapsed on the dusty road in front of the inn.

“I’m going to work even harder for you so believe in me!” Carried by the wind, Siete’s yell was loud enough that most of the tiny village heard his promise.   

**Author's Note:**

> thank you very much for reading and have a nice day! Your feedback is really appreciated!  
> he protec, he attac, but most importantly, siete respects six's social anxiety
> 
> I realize that I wrote siete as pretty weak to alcohol but that's a funny hc I would like to share with you. (then again its homemade and Idk if gbf-verse has decent alcohol regulation ALTHOUGH THEY SHOULD, because homemade alcohol can be very dangerous)
> 
> my past's phantom attacked me because of my poor life choices and now I'm eating my sins. I want to go back to my warm swamp but something possessed me and I went a bit overboard. I got enabled to write about my past OTP and thing just spiraled out of control  
> (I'm really happy I was given this request and really had fun writing because siesi is still very important to me)  
> I think this ended up a being a bit more serious that requested? I hope it’s not a problem. I’m a dirty coward because I can’t write two characters confessing properly but that’s fine because both siete and six are oblivious/in denial anyway.
> 
> ALSO, I CAN'T REALLY WRITE FIGHTING SCENES...which is fairly obvious, yeah, so please ignore the logistics of siete's swords


End file.
